During Charlemagne's reign, his knights demonstrated the main characteristics of feudalism. These characteristics consisted of loyalty, religion, bravery, and compassion. In "The Song of Roland", Charlemagne's knights showed evidence of these traits. .
One of the traits the book illustrated was that Charlemagne's knight showed great loyalty to their king. For example, as Roland prepared for battle he showed his loyalty when he stated, "a man should suffer hardship for his lord, and preserve through dreadful heat and cold; a man should lose if need be, flesh and blood" (86). .
Another characteristic of the knights was religion, they honored the laws of the Christian church. Roland showed his faith when he debated weather to blow his olphant, which he felt was a sign of weakness. For guidance, he turned to his faith and prayed, " Almighty God forbid my family should be removed for me or sweet France ever fall in disgrace" (Song of Roland p. 84). .
In addition, bravery helped the knights earn good reputations and worthiness. Roland demonstrated bravery when he preferred to fight alone rather than call for help and he stated, " Almighty God forbid and all his angels, that France should lose her fame because of me! I"d much prefer to die than to come to shame; for fighting well, the emperor will love us" (85). .
Furthermore, despite the warrior image that the knights had to portray, they also had to be compassionate. Roland showed compassion when he wept for his fallen comrades. He prayed that God would be merciful to them and deliver them to heaven (108). .
Given these facts, "The Song of Roland", clearly illustrated that Feudalism was reflected in the loyalty, religion, bravery, and compassion of Charlemagne's knights. It also emphasized the importance of the relationship between a lord and his knights, which made possible the existence of a feudal political and social system. .
Ganelon's Revenge The Song of Roland begins with the last city standing in Spain as Saragossa which is held by Marsilla, a Muslim king. ... He vows that if Roland were dead there would be peace. ... Once on the field it is obvious that Roland has been set up. ... Roland blows his horn so hard that his temples explode. ... The act of tearing Ganelon limb from limb turned the revenge back to Roland and Christian favor. ...
The Song of Roland, an epic poem based on the Battle of Roncevaux in 778, during the reign of Charlemagne, portrays a hero named Roland. ... " Throughout the reading we see Roland's appetite for a fight constantly. ... Clearly, as shown throughout almost the entire epic poem, Roland's greatest strength is his abilities as a fighter, and his crave for a fight. ... But Roland being proud and a bit big-headed refuses the offer immensely. ... But the Count Roland could not bear throwing that kind of shame on his family line and on his reputation. ...
Throughout The Iliad, written by Homer, and The Song of Roland, by Sir Thomas Mallory, both Roland and Achilles show traits of each other as history repeats itself. ... (Song of Roland 173. 154-155) Both Achilles and Roland demonstrate their great skill in being warriors. ... "French fight side by side, all as one man, the pagans die by the thousands/ whoever does not flea finds no refuge from death. (Song of Roland 110. 5-7) Roland shows that he is greedy and egotistic but loyal to his king and country. Charles wept for Roland but Roland did not say or do anything. ...
The Song of Roland Essay In the epic The Song of Roland, you find yourself rooting for two main characters: Roland and Oliver. ... He was probably the best fighter from either side, but in the end he died for his people and a cause he believed was just. His faith lied with his king Charlemagne and died with Charlemagne just as he desired to be taken from this Earth. ... Roland showed more courage than Oliver by focusing on the fight from the first sign of Marsilla's army to his final stand. ... Roland and Oliver's legacy lives on and is a lesson to be learned from everybody. ...
There are differences and similarities that Oliver and Roland share. ... There thoughts on personal honor are on the same level, but Roland takes it to far. ... Roland thinks they have the situation under control, when they clearly do not. Roland is also very rash, he is more of a do first think later kind of guy. ... Roland and Oliver share some similarities and some differences. ...
Another wonderfully written literature, The Song of Roland, discusses friendship between two characters, Roland and Oliver whose friendship is carefully based on trust. ... Roderigo has received enough strength from his friend's words to equal the value of his land. ... In The Song of Roland, friendship depicts the value between the lord and his vassals. The friendship in The Song of Roland is based on trust and bond. ... The Song of Roland. ...
While the way in which the female characters in The Song of Roland and The Romance of Tristan and Iseult differs, the status of the women seems to change little in the century and a half or so that separate the two works. ... The Song of Roland is a story about the bravery and savagery that accompanies war. ... Taking place in the early twelfth century, Roland is the story of war, a theme that remains entirely separate from those associated with women. ... Upon hearing from Charles of Roland's death, Aude declares she could not go on living knowing her beloved Roland is no longer. ... Th...
Historians speculate, The Song of Roland or La Chanson de Roland was written at the end of the eleventh century. ... The song was also one the first Medieval works. ... Some, give credit to Turoldus, as the author of the song. ... (gradesaver.htm) "Ganelon and Blancandrin rode on until each pledged his faith to the other and swore they'd find a way to have Count Roland killed (Goldin 1117)" The Song of Roland has multiple themes, Ganelon's plot of revenge against Roland. ... The Emperor loves us when we fight well (Goldin 1131)" Oliver was realistic, decisive, and astute, reali...
